1. IES Barcelona Sustainability Club Facebook Page

In short, The IES Barcelona Sustainability Club Facebook Page is a simple means to share links, pictures, information, etc. in a forum style manner on the "Wall" on the Facebook page. I strongly believe that by utilizing Facebook and connecting it with the Club's official tiki site, we will be able to attract a much broader crowd as well as maintaining the interest level and willingness to share ideas. It is safe to say that the majority of IES students do their social networking on Facebook. Whether it be checking pictures, chatting with friends, planning events, or checking out new information, it is all made possible on Facebook. I strongly believe that students participating in the IES Barcelona Sustainability Club would contribute much more information and contacts through Facebook than any other website or listserve. Facebook will keep Club almuns in contact with current members as well.

1.1. Why

Facebook has become an internet sensation. It has changed the way that people communicate, make plans, and share ideas. Facebook essentially has incorporated all of the topics above and put them onto one website where it is all possible. It has changed the attitudes of many large and small businesses. Nowadays, businesses are looking to adapt to modern culture and to get in touch with the youth of the generation. Facebook is allowing for these companies to get in touch with those who have accounts. The Facebook Page would reduce dependency on paper calendars, paper schedules, and paper contact lists. That saves a lot of paper, ink and leaves a small ecological footprint. As of now, Facebook is a free service that is open to anyone. I have not read or heard of any plans in the future to begin charging for accounts, so that is not a short-term concern. That does need to be something that is monitored in the future though in case things were to change in order to keep it sustainable for the long-term.

Resilience

Change in Attitudes

Reducing dependency on...

Ecological/Water footprints

Externalization of costs

Long term effects

Feedback loops (balancing / reinforcing, lagged or not)

SLEN vs. TINA

Copyleft (CC)...

Free Software

"Cradle to cradle" design (Waste = Food)

Eco-effectiveness (vs. Eco-efficiency)

...

1.1.1. Potential Benefits

The potential benefits of maintaining this Facebook page could be numerous. For one, it will give Club members an easily accessible forum to share information. This information can be in the form of: pictures, text, links, scheduling, etc. All of which can be freely posted on the Wall. If Facebook continues to remain free, it is going to be beneficial to have such a large audience capable of "liking" the IES Barcelona Sustainability Club Page, therefore leading them to the Tiki website which would introduce them to everything that the Club stands for. The most important benefit from using Facebook is that nearly every student has it nowadays. With every student logging onto Facebook (sometimes up to 10 times a day!), they will be able to constantly have the ability to easily check the Page and see what is new. By the massive amount of students using Facebook and viewing this page, they would be more inclined to "stumble" onto the Club's Tiki page. This could become a crucial tool for recruiting new members.

1.1.2. Potential Costs

As stated earlier, Facebook is currently a free social network. As long as it remains free, the only cost would be in the form of student's putting their time into maintaining the site and making sure it is kept up-to-date. This job of maintaining the site, would most likely be given to a member on the Club's Administrative Board, specifically, the Secretary.

1.2. How

This site was created through Facebook. The outline, and methodology followed in the formatting of the Page was all provided by Facebook. We have uploaded and filled in all of the Club's information, including: mission statement, goals, about, date founded, contact emails, and a link to the Club's official website (Tiki). In order for this to continue to be maintained, the Secretary of the Club from each semester would be responsible for taking charge and keeping it maintained. By alerting Betsy and myself, the new Secretary would be given administrative powers and allowed the power to edit the entire Page.

1.4. References

1.5. Students involved in this action

Cole Konopk, Betsy Fischer and Emma Witschi
Katie Dasburg; managed to create the link from the Sustainability Club's Wiki page back to the face book page as well as helped create the logo on the face book page

Fairly well in general, even if there are a few weak points in your report, and you didn't seem to be implementation the action at its full potential (you didn't seem to have used it to promote the actions from your semester). See below.
"The Facebook Page would reduce dependency on paper calendars, paper schedules, and paper contact lists. That saves a lot of paper, ink and leaves a small ecological footprint."
this is true for facebook, as well as for any other web platform providing similar services (calendars, schedules, contact lists, etc)
"As of now, Facebook is a free service that is open to anyone. I have not read or heard of any plans in the future to begin charging for accounts, so that is not a short-term concern."
This seems to be true, so not a short-term concern. But we are designing things with the ability to be sustained for the future, and not just for the "short-term".
"That does need to be something that is monitored in the future though in case things were to change in order to keep it sustainable for the long-term."
Unluckily, if that chance is to be considered (if they change terms, and we have lost control on the content published there, and we don't have an easy way to export all content from the facebook page to somewhere else), then we have to weigh why we need facebook if we can use some free software (FLOSS) alternative, while keeping the facebook just allow users to write messages in the wall, and get the viral effect onto other user's contacts, etc. But if we are to build databases of anything, we'd better build them somewhere else where we have control over the mid and long run (and easy ways to import and export its content), and keep facebook for the viral marketing effect. Luckily, this seems the overall design after the discussions in class week after week on this topic. However, your report doesn't include these important arguments in the discussion, and thus, is not fully considering the sustainability of the facebook page.
By the way, regarding the copyright of the content that you post in a facebook page, can you force it to be under creative commons license (for instance, cc-by-sa), or facebook keeps a restriction on which copyright license you can apply to the content added to a facebook page?
Moreover, does facebook allow some easy format for exporting content to other sites? I mean, if we decided to create a database of vegetarian restaurants (or recycling spots, or sectorial shops, or movies, or...) based on different criteria, would it be easy to export the whole database in csv format (or other easy and common interchange format)?
Or a calendar/agenda with scheduling information (past, present and future): will it be exportable to somewhere else? (google calendars? Or would you be able to integrate a google calendar (being used in many professional organizations and teams) with the facebook page?...
Those questions and concerns should be addressed also if new groups of students are willing to rely too much on facebook (or similar) free sites (free in the sense of at no cost besides ads, in the short run, at least).
"1.1. Why:
Resilience
Change in Attitudes
..."
These keywords were to be deleted if not used in your text.
"With every student logging onto Facebook (sometimes up to 10 times a day!), they will be able to constantly have the ability to easily check the Page and see what is new."
How many times do you check email, in comparison? So a good website combining web-centric design for the organization, with good email update (or RSS feeds) on changes per topics, content categories, objects, etc. could be, a priory, a similar good solution.
"By the massive amount of students using Facebook and viewing this page, they would be more inclined to "stumble" onto the Club's Tiki page.
That's true. But remember that quantity doesn't always equal quality. Relying too much on facebook could mean that students wouldn't want to help creating databases or scheduling events into websites different than facebook, and some students might start creating those resources in facebook instead on the external FLOSS site. So special care has to be taken into account to have visitors post relevant information (that we don't want to be too spread) in the Tiki website: EcoEuros spent or gained? actions performed or still to do? (watering plants every week?), ...
"This could become a crucial tool for recruiting new members. "
I fully agree, at least in the short and mid-terms. And that's why we are all looking for ways to get the viral effect from social networks like facebook in the design of the website for the sustainability club.
"1.1.2. Potential Costs"
I also see the cost of re-gathering information spread in the facebook page (wall, forum, etc.) over the Tiki site to keep the sustainability club away from the organization and information chaos. Cost in time and energy/effort for such a tedious and potentially continuous and time-and-energy-consuming task.
"1.5. Students involved in this action. (...) Katie Dasburg; managed to create the link from the Sustainability Club's Wiki page back to the face book page as well as helped create the logo on the face book page "
Katie, this is not enough to be considered a co-author of this action and its report, so I'm not considering you as a substantial contributor to this action & report.
"1.4. References"
This section lists two documents which doesn't seem to have been used in your text. You were supposed to cite references in your text, and provide full details of these references in the "References and links"
Last, I've visited he facebook page, and it has not updated content on what are the foreseen actions to be developed in the next semester. Nor the promotional video that was produced by your class mates, etc. Nor information about the actions that were going to be help by the end of your semester (cell phones, electric appliances, books, ...).
Moreover, as of January 3rd 2011, only 9 people are shown as people who like it. Did you do any promotion so that other students from your past semester knew about it?